Cricket – Afghanistan’s answer to national unity?

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Just ten
years ago cricket was illegal in Afghanistan. Today, it's considered
something of a saviour in the war torn country after the national team went
from 90th place to the world's top twenty.

It's a
dream for any cricket team to reach the ICC World Twenty20 competition (the International
Cricket Council's world cup), but for the Afghanistan
cricket team, the opportunity to play India was all the sweeter. Afghan
cricket didn't officially exist until 2000 when the Taliban finally lifted the
ban, on the grounds that players got regular breaks for prayer time.

Two years
ago they were playing the likes of mediocre teams like Japan and Vanuatu, now they have sky-rocketed
through the ranks to take on some of the titans of cricket. Although they did
not beat India,
their very presence in the tournament is a success story.

The
majority of the team learnt their skills in the refugee camps on the Pakistani
border in the 1990s, and there are still no professional grounds in the
country. This story of the underdog struggling against the odds is the stuff of
films, and sure enough the previews of a documentary on the team's newfound
acclaim were aired at the Edinburgh Film Festival a few weeks ago. "Out of the
Ashes"
traces the twists and turns of this extraordinary story over two years.

But this
spate of publicity is not just about international achievements; their journey
has led to a reinvigoration of the sport within Afghanistan. The first provincial
tournament in May and June this year attracted 20,000 people from around the
country and was broadcast live on TV, another form of entertainment banned
under the Taliban.

"People used to think of it as a Pashtun-only sport, but now the Tajiks, Uzbeks, Turkmen and Hazara are all getting involved"

Tawab
Zafarzai, a life-long cricket fan, is manager of Afghanistan's
under-16s team, currently on tour in Malaysia.

Cricket
means more to the Afghan people than any other sport. It has a long history in
our country, but this is especially true in the last two years. Men, women and in
particular young people are all now fans! It is not an exaggeration to say it
is a path to national unity. Everyone is so proud of the national team!

This pride
has also filtered down to a local level. When we had the provincial tournament
in Kabul, 24
teams were involved. Previously, many people thought it a sport of the Pashtuns
only, but this time, the Tajiks, Uzbeks, Turkmen and Hazara all got involved.
It was great to see so many people gather in Kabul for cricket.

However, we
don't really have the facilities to host tournaments. There are two projects to
build proper facilities, one in Kabul
to be funded by CARE
and one in Jalalabad funded by local businesses. It is good the government and
NGOs are recognising what a powerful tool this could be for strengthening our
society. Although we do need greater security too.

I learnt to
play cricket in Peshawar [Pakistan] as a
boy, just like 95% of the national team, playing 'street cricket'. But it would
be great to see a growth in the sport within Afghanistan. Who knows, perhaps one
day we will even beat our rivals in the region: India
and Pakistan!"

The amateurs

Playing
'street cricket', the majority of the national team learnt this way in the
refugee camps of Pakistan.